QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.1ml

Earthquake near Camano, WA

No earthquake was likely felt in Camano in the 24 hours to 2:37 am PST (10:37 UTC). The last one was M 4.2, 87 km (54 mi) S, at 2:05 pm PDT on 29 September 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 9,329 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Camano

This page: a magnitude 3.1 earthquake was recorded 6 km (4 mi) north of Camano, WA, at 12:21 am PDT on 23 May 2023 (07:21 UTC), 61 km deep. 37 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 6 km N of Camano, Washington

69 km (43 mi) N of Seattle, WA · 32 km (20 mi) WNW of Marysville, WA

12:21 am PDT, May 23, 2023 · · 61 km deep · released about 1,400 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Island County 14 kmSan Juan County 53 kmSnohomish County 59 kmSkagit County 60 kmKitsap County 67 kmWhatcom County 85 kmJefferson County 89 kmKing County 97 kmClallam County 102 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
12:21 am PDT on 23 May 2023 ()
Where
6 km (4 mi) north of Camano, WA · earthquakes near Camano
Magnitude
M 3.1 (ml)
Depth
61 km below the surface
Felt
37 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Measured shaking
intensity III (ShakeMap)
Nearest
Island County, 14 km SW
Nearest mapped fault
Utsalady Point fault, 2 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 506 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Camano, 6 km away, the estimate is intensity II (weak). Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Stanwood, Oak Harbor, Coupeville, Warm Beach, Ault Field, Port Townsend.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1,400 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 240,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 11,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 7,700× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.1 about 1,400 lb of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 1.5× more

Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.

For this area

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.0 4 km ENE of Machias, Washington · 47 km ESE of this epicentre
  2. 5.0 6 km W of Conway, Washington · 13 km NNE of this epicentre

Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.

Where

Epicentre 48.2320, -122.5215. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Island County, WA 14 km (9 mi) SW earthquakes near Island County
San Juan County, WA 53 km (33 mi) NW earthquakes near San Juan County
Snohomish County, WA 59 km (37 mi) ESE earthquakes near Snohomish County
Skagit County, WA 60 km (37 mi) ENE earthquakes near Skagit County
Kitsap County, WA 67 km (41 mi) S earthquakes near Kitsap County
Whatcom County, WA 85 km (53 mi) NE earthquakes near Whatcom County

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

44 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 1.6 2 km N of Edmonds, Washington
  2. 2.0 1 km SE of Coupeville, Washington
  3. 1.6 6 km SSW of Port Ludlow, Washington
  4. 2.0 6 km WNW of Lofall, Washington
  5. 1.7 5 km SW of Port Ludlow, Washington
  6. 2.6 7 km WNW of Lofall, Washington
  7. 1.9 6 km ENE of Lofall, Washington
  8. 2.2 8 km ENE of Quilcene, Washington
  9. 1.5 2 km N of Edmonds, Washington
  10. 1.6 5 km SSW of Anacortes, Washington
  11. 1.7 5 km SW of Port Ludlow, Washington
  12. 1.7 5 km ESE of Coupeville, Washington
  13. 1.6 6 km W of Edison, Washington
  14. 1.9 1 km E of Kingston, Washington
  15. 1.8 4 km SW of Port Ludlow, Washington

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.

On USGS

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.